From the archives of the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library:
As long as there have been automobiles there have been children, and so a need for traffic safety education has been around for a long time. In April of 1972 Sault Ste. Marie assessment figures indicated that there were approximately 10,000 children between the ages of 5 – 10 years, and another 5, 000 between the ages of 4 -5 years old. Local accident statistics revealed that this age group was high on the list of traffic victims and considered to be the most vulnerable in terms of traffic safety.
The Sault Ste. Marie Safety Council began a mobile unit that visited city schools, teaching traffic laws and road safety. The mobile unit was so successful that it prompted the Council to look at the possibility of setting up a permanent miniature village. Statistics, along with the success of the mobile unit encouraged the city’s Community Services Board to vote unanimously in favour of a proposal made by the Safety Council to install a permanent Safetyville in the city. Safetyville being an interactive traffic safety simulation for children that was intended to introduce traffic and traffic safety. It would be equipped with battery powered vehicles, traffic lights and driving challenges which would be scaled down for the children’s educational purposes. The goal of Safetyville was to take the fear away from traffic and teach the basics of traffic safety though a positive, engaging, and interactive experience.
Mrs. Glorya Nanne, head of the delegation making the proposal on behalf of the Safety Council, explained the program’s benefits as supporting an idea that “a positive attitude towards safety instilled in children, starting with the very young, will equip them to cope with (traffic) hazards all their lives.”
Glorya Nanne, on behalf of the Sault Ste. Marie Safety Council, requested the use of 50,000 sq. feet of space at Bellevue Park be allocated as the home of Safetyville, with its 12 miniature buildings and battery-operated vehicles. Bellevue Park appeared ideal because it would require minimal landscaping and was readily accessible by city buses and area schools. This location was considered to be less susceptible to vandals as the park was already under security surveillance.
The Parks and Recreation Department did not support the idea of Bellevue Park. Bob Saker, the head of the department, suggested that an area in the new James Elliot Park should be set aside for Safetyville, saying it may have become a prominent part of the new park. Saker agreed that Safetyville was a good idea, he believed it was proven valuable and effective in other cities such as Flint, Michigan where there had been fewer traffic accidents involving children reported. Saker did say that Bellevue Park was already highly utilized, and the possible location of James Elliot Park may encourage citizens to make use of another city park. He believed it was unrealistic to set aside an entire acre of Bellevue Park only to be used for four months of the year. Using the Queen Street Park would also involve the removal of partially and fully grown trees. The Community Services Board was not open to suggestions for alternative locations such as Victoria Park and Penhorwood Park, but that would change.
The site of Safetyville would need access to washrooms, parking, and possible protection from the elements. An undulating landscape free of plants and trees would be best to mimic the real-life driving experiences for child participants. After some debate, Penhorwood Park on Weldon Street was chosen as the site of the Sault’s Safetyville.
The Sault Ste. Marie Safety Council received $8160.00 in provincial grants, the money would be used to pay student employee wages and to construct Safetyville’s miniature buildings. The Safety Council anticipated employing 13 high school and college students, with special consideration given to those students studying carpentry or construction. A local construction company had agreed to provide construction space and building materials were donated by several other businesses in town.
Because they had not been in favour of the James Elliot Park suggestion, the Safetyville council and Glorya Nanne, felt as though they had already compromised on location. Still, the Safety Council accepted the offer of Penhorwood Park in an attempt to ensure the development of the miniature safety centred village. The Community Services Board had granted the use of Penhorwood Park, but the Safety Council did not want to move forward with construction until any citizen objections to the plan had been dealt with. Nanne believed that the public would have had no issues if Safetyville had been granted the space they needed at Bellevue Park.
Objectors to the park ultimately got their way. Objections were heard from a group of neighbourhood residents surrounding Penhorwood Park. The group was led by Phil George, and they wanted the Safetyville proposal shut down. The objectors wanted to stop the development of the traffic safety teaching experience because they were concerned with an increase in traffic and activity in their neighbourhood. Phil George suggested he would take the issue before the city council and have an injunction put in place to stop the construction.
Roadblocks and objections jeopardized the future of Safteyville in the Sault since those local businesses who had volunteered services and materials, or to pay for the miniature cars began having second thoughts on their involvement. Glorya Nanne and the Sault Ste. Marie Safety Council remained confident that a settlement would be reached, and construction could begin in the spring of 1973.
In September of 1972, the Safetyville project hit even greater snags when vandals tore shingles off and punched holes in its miniature mock buildings. For the time being the buildings were placed in an unprotected site at Queen Elizabeth Park, near the fire hall. Nanne and the Safety Council wanted the buildings moved to a more secure location, and they recognized the potential need for a high fence surrounding the village. A fence such as the one required would likely have cost $400 and the added expense would hinder the development and opening of Safetyville further.
The existing tiny buildings had to be moved ASAP to an undisclosed location, and the Sault Safety Council began looking for winter storage options, with a garage or other enclosed space being ideal.
By the fall of 1974 excessive vandalism, neighbourhood objections, and a lack of funds had put an end to the community’s hope of establishing a permanent safety training miniature village. The Sault Ste. Marie Safety Council had no option but to sell the small buildings and the battery-operated cars. These would be sold to the highest bidder, with monies from the sale being returned to the Lakeshore Kiwanis Club, as they had originally provided funds for the project’s building materials.
The Safety Council president, Roger Kolari, told the council that attempts to have a mobile traffic safety village run by the Ontario Provincial Police brought to the city. The O.P.P.’s village would be moved to different schools and plazas throughout the city.
Other attempts to bring attention to traffic safety in the community were suggested by the Council, including a decorated float in the city’s Community Day Parade, intended to remind the public of the importance of remaining vigilant when driving. The Council also considered the idea of erecting crosses at locations where traffic fatalities had occurred within the city.
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